THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602240453
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Tom Robinson
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
In the past decade, lousy basketball kicked up its feet and settled in at William and Mary. So the least you can say for Charlie Woollum is that his team seems to be doing its best to roust that devil from its Williamsburg easy chair.
True, the Tribe probably will finish seventh of nine teams in a muddled Colonial Athletic Association. It has won nine games, and might not make 10. Another losing season, the school's 10th in 11 years, is all but in the books.
But what I saw last Wednesday at the Old Dominion field house was a decent team that competed. A team that fell behind by 18 points and eventually lost to ODU's superior athletes by five, chasing the Monarchs into the final minute. A team that, if you were its coach or fan, you wouldn't be too sheepish to stand behind.
``We played them right to the end,'' a drained, flu-bitten Woollum said after the game, sweat lining his brow. ``What can I say? We got beat by a team that's better than us.''
ODU also hung a four-point loss on William and Mary (9-15) earlier, and most likely the teams will be first-round opponents in the CAA tournament next weekend. In Woollum's second season at his alma mater, that's a less-inviting prospect than it used to be.
``We've gained some respect. Now people don't just say we're a cupcake,'' said fifth-year senior Carl Parker, the Tribe's leading scorer and co-captain. ``I've heard people say it on the court. There's a different air about them, they're not laughing at us. They know they have to battle.''
Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth and, strangely, American might need a little more convincing. They've blasted the Tribe by 29, 23 and 34, respectively. But Woollum's boys have bullied up on people, too.
They have two victories apiece over Richmond and James Madison for the first time since 1982-83. They beat Madison and Navy by more than 20, Division III Marymount by 33 and resurgent Virginia Military Institute by 41. That same '82-83 season was the last time William and Mary won four games by at least 20 points.
And if it could shoot free throws at better than 63 percent, the Tribe might have reversed its four losses by four points or fewer. Not to mention its five-point loss to Virginia Tech.
On the whole, you could say Woollum has the Tribe on his page, the one he coached from for 19 years at Bucknell. Woollum, 56, an ODU assistant coach during the Monarchs' mid-70s Division II glory days, won six of every 10 games there. He took Bucknell to two NCAA tournaments, but couldn't get the William and Mary job the first time he tried.
Since he landed it two years ago, the Tribe stands 17-34. An NCAA berth remains an unspeakable fantasy. For the future, though, Woollum's got some things going for him that he didn't have at Bucknell.
Full athletic scholarships, for one - Bucknell gives need-based aid - a larger budget and, on balance, a better league. So while Woollum's recruiting options remain limited by William and Mary's exacting academic standards, he's at least into a larger pool of youthful brains.
To date, it hasn't made recruiting a great deal easier, though freshman point guard Randy Bracy, who averages 10 points and four assists, could be a real find. Woollum loses three senior starters, however, and was unable to secure any recruits during the early signing period.
``That's not unusual,'' Woollum said with a shrug. ``We went after some and didn't get them. Some kids we wanted to sign early didn't. They wanted to wait.''
Wait for proof, perhaps, that Woollum really could awaken William and Mary basketball. Look beyond the record; it looks like Woollum's found a pulse. ILLUSTRATION: Charlie Woollum has the William and Mary basketball program on
the ever-so-slightly upswing
by CNB